Zippers and buttons! A G R E AT WAY T O G E T Y O U R L I T T L E O N E S U S E D T O T H E S E E V E R Y D AY D E M A N D S !
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This often begins with puzzles and shape sorters when children are really young, but even if your child was not interested in these activities, your little one still has many opportunities to develop fine-motor skills
Remember be Patient, Positive and Pertinent PaPoPe! Try to practise this during times when you are not rushing out the door to take children to school or any engagement. Let them be tranquil, sit and ‘play’ while they practise! Try to promote the effective use of both hands, your child will choose which hand is more comfortable to work with and that will become the dominant hand. However, until then try to stimulate both hands to work on every task. For this specific activities you could use a long ribbon (blue) with buttons (safely glued or sewed), make sure they are separated about 5cm-8cm approximately and if you want you can close the gap (2cm) as they get used to it. Cut (like a slit) on another piece of more straight/thicker/hard material (yellow) so that your child can ‘pass’ the buttons. The slit should have enough space but not too wide. At the end your child could have a nice line of ‘waves’ or ‘mountains’ or they can use their imagination and button them like a spiral. See if they can make it as long as their bed; or
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use it like a ‘bumpy mummy’ and work on it until they can use it to wrap themselves like a mummy! The objective is to get them engaged and enjoy the task. Encourage them when they make an effort, but as Chorpita (2007) recommended avoid ‘non-contingent rewards’ which are giving something for little effort. A reward can be praise, more time playing (i.e., 2 extra minutes per metre that day). Remember to be pertinent. Start with this activities and clothes that are not on body, choose the biggest buttons not on body and when you make the transition on body. Then move on to the real clothes your child wears. This is something that happens gradually, by not putting pressure on your child, you help your child to enjoy and not reject the task. For hooking zippers also start with the largest you can find. You can get old coats with zippers or old clothes to get your child to hook them (not on body). If your child likes colours or even one specific colour, use this and put a coloured ribbon to zippers to make a ‘larger zipper pull’. See if your little one can do it in less time every day! *Get your child to IMPROVE his/her time NOT to compete against anyone else. Provide variety, a challenge! For instance, put the coats on the bed. The next time put them on the bed and the floor and maybe one a bit further; next time, put them around the room and get your child to find them!
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These activities are one step closer to the real task. However, there are many activities that help to develop the skills and muscles your child needs to perform these tasks. Shape sorters, filling a money box with coins or buttons; filling a container with a slit cut in on sides and the top and use different buttons (colour, size, texture). Remember to monitor them, buttons can be a hazard for those that are curious and chew on objects or place the buttons in different parts to see ‘what happens’ this is normal as they are curious and are discovering all the time. An electrical socket can be a hazard if your child gets curious, as you may imagine the combination button and socket is dangerous. Be pertinent and let them know why that is dangerous; monitor them, show them, teach them and ENJOY WITH YOUR CHILD! Enable your child to do it independently by providing tasks that can develop the necessary skills to perform the task!
Remember, the more they play and repeat the action, the better they will get at it! This should promote independence and stimulate the development of fine-motor skills, which we use to write and perform other activities that require precision and eye-hand coordination. You do not need to tell your child all this, your child would not be interes-
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ted, but you are the adult and probably you want to know why, how and when it is good to have these “games”! Communicate with us if you would like us to visit you and your child and make recommendations. If you are worried and have noticed something that makes you worried, then you may want us to assess areas of difficulty and further the assessment. Having a chat with you will help us to identify which course of action is appropriate. Sometimes you will be able to support your child on your own with some professional recommendations and the benefit to be able to just ask if you have a doubt or want to improve something. Other times you may need constant guidance and other times your child may need continuous professional support. Appropriate, early evidence-based interventions have demonstrated to result in positive outcomes. This supports children’s wellbeing, and as Benson (2010) reported, this also prevents adults from developing anxiety and stress from a difficult situation when their children get older and the impairments become pervasive, thus impairing proper functioning.
Communicate with us, we are here to help you and your child! Talk to our CFO who will make sure any plan, visit or treatment is pertinent for your economy. sacha@inopsye.co.uk
Photography, editorial desing and illustrations by María Fernanda García
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www.inopsye.co.uk info@inopsye.co.uk /inopsye